Basketball Page 204 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
Wolves host Nets, seek to escape play-in round
The Minnesota Timberwolves are poised to make a last-minute rise up the Western Conference standings with two winnable games remaining on the season, starting with the Brooklyn Nets in Minneapolis on Friday.,Eighth-place Minnesota (47-33) is in a three-way tie with the Golden State Warriors and Memp...
Heat, after crushing loss, aim to improve seeding vs. Pelicans
The Miami Heat have a chance to improve their position for the Eastern Conference play-in tournament with two games left in the regular season.,The 10th-place Heat (36-44) will visit the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday. The Heat missed an opportunity to move into ninth place when they dropped a 119-1...
Knicks face No. 1 Cavs, look to lock in No. 3 seed in East
The New York Knicks didn't want to show the Detroit Pistons too much Thursday night in a potential preview of a first-round matchup in the NBA playoffs.,But the Knicks certainly could use a statement-type effort Friday night when they close their home schedule by hosting the Eastern Conference-leadi...
Magic, Pacers meet with an eye on playoffs
With their postseason spots nearly set, the Indiana Pacers and visiting Orlando Magic might choose to rest a few starters when the teams meet on Friday night.,Indiana (49-31) clinched a top-four seed and home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs with a 114-112 home win over the Clevela...
Hawks' Zaccharie Risacher rides momentum into Philadelphia
Zaccharie Risacher continues to prove the doubters wrong.,The 20-year-old Atlanta forward will look to build off a career-high scoring performance when the Hawks visit the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.,As the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft, Risacher faced plenty of skeptics, even while deliver...
Pistons, Bucks open two-game set with seeding on line
The Detroit Pistons thrived in a playoff-style atmosphere on Thursday. Their last two regular-season games could have postseason implications as well.,Detroit faces the Milwaukee Bucks in back-to-back games on Friday and Sunday.,The first of those games will be held in Detroit, with the rematch in M...
Timberwolves score 52 in 3rd to run away from Grizzlies
Anthony Edwards scored 44 points and Julius Randle added 31 points and 10 rebounds to lead the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves to a 141-125 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday.,The Timberwolves, who won for the sixth time in seven games, used a franchise-record 52-point third quarter to f...
NBA roundup: Pacers seal top-4 spot in East
The Indiana Pacers secured home-court advantage in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs with a 114-112 win over the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday in Indianapolis.,With the New York Knicks' loss to the Detroit Pistons on Thursday, the Pacers could still earn the No. 3 see...
Pacers edge Cavs, secure home-court advantage in 1st round
The Indiana Pacers secured home-court advantage in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs with a 114-112 win over the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday in Indianapolis.,With the New York Knicks' loss to the Detroit Pistons on Thursday, the Pacers (49-31) could still earn the N...
Bucks take down Pelicans, extend win streak to 6
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 28 points and 11 rebounds and the host Milwaukee Bucks pulled away from the New Orleans Pelicans 136-111 on Thursday night.,Antetokounmpo fell five assists short of what would have been his fourth straight triple-double, but the Bucks (46-34) still won their sixth consecuti...
Zaccharie Risacher's career high helps Hawks' playoff positioning
Rookie Zaccharie Risacher scored 23 of his career-high 38 points in the first half as the Atlanta Hawks started fast, never let up and cruised to a 133-109 rout of the Brooklyn Nets Thursday night in New York.,The Hawks (38-42) won for just the third time in their past nine games and are two games b...
Pacers edge undermanned Cavs, secure home-court advantage
The Indiana Pacers secured home-court advantage in the Eastern Conference playoffs with a 114-112 win over the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday in Indianapolis.,With the New York Knicks' loss to the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday, the Pacers (49-31) could still earn the No. 3 seed in the E...
Cade Cunningham leads Pistons past Knicks
Cade Cunningham poured in 36 points and recorded eight assists as the host Detroit Pistons pulled out a 115-106 victory over the New York Knicks in a preview of a potential first-round playoff matchup on Thursday night.,Jalen Duren supplied 18 points and 13 rebounds for the Pistons (44-36). Tobias H...
Mavericks trying to pull out of funk as Raptors visit
The Dallas Mavericks will set out to snap an untimely three-game losing streak when they play host to the Toronto Raptors on Friday.,The Mavericks' recent skid has caused them to fall into the 10th and final play-in spot in the Western Conference, and a turnaround doesn't seem likely based on recent...
Lakers take aim at No. 3 spot vs. No. 2 seed Rockets
The Los Angeles Lakers have clinched a playoff spot but they still have plenty to play for with two games remaining in the regular season.,Los Angeles can move closer to grabbing the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference when it hosts the second-place Houston Rockets on Friday night.,The Lakers (49-3...
Slumping Suns close out home schedule against Spurs
The Phoenix Suns will look to produce a final home win in a disappointing season when they host the San Antonio Spurs on Friday in a late-season Western Conference game with nothing on the line but pride. ,Both teams have been eliminated from the postseason and are using the final two games to eithe...
Thunder look to lock up league's best record against Jazz
A lot of the talk surrounding the Utah Jazz this season has been about their rebuilding process, tanking and acquiring one of the top picks of the 2025 NBA Draft.,Incidentally, the rookie on their team who's excelling the most right now is the one who didn't get selected in the first round. In Wedne...
Clippers visit Kings with eye on top-four seed in West
The Los Angeles Clippers carry a six-game winning streak and prospects of home-court advantage to open the playoffs into a season-ending Northern California road swing that begins Friday against the Sacramento Kings. ,The Clippers (48-32) swept a five-game homestand, culminating on Wednesday with a ...
After disappointing loss, Warriors set to face Trail Blazers
Playoff mode has started for the Golden State Warriors, who travel to face the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday for a regular-season game that is crucial for their postseason seeding.,"We are already in the playoffs," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "This is what the playoffs feel like -- a lot of p...
Pushing to improve play-in status, Bulls welcome Wizards
Making a late-season surge in pursuit of a playoff spot, the Chicago Bulls face the last-place Washington Wizards in their regular-season home finale on Friday.,Chicago (37-43) has won four of its last five, with a 7-3 mark over the last 10, following Wednesday's 119-111 victory over the Miami Heat....